After working in the wireless communications industry for 15 years as a customer success manager and having her third child, Nicole Benson was ready for a change. She was looking for a career that was entrepreneurial in nature, afforded her work-life balance and gave her the opportunity to connect with new people every day.
A close friend suggested Benson had the financial acumen and people skills for lending. It wasn’t the first time someone encouraged her to pursue a career in the industry; during college, the real estate agents who stopped by the mortgage office, where she was the first point of contact, told her the same thing.
“I casually walked across the street to my new neighbor, who I heard was in the industry, and landed myself a job on the driveway,” she recalls. “I started as her assistant to learn the ropes of the industry, earned a license six months later and then my business almost instantly began to flourish.”
Benson, Vice President of Mortgage Lending with Rate in Issaquah, Washington, has a deep passion for rolling out the red carpet for clients. “I want each of my clients to feel like they are the only one I am working with,” she says.
Named a 2021 President’s Club award winner, she is proud of the time she dedicates to educating clients and referral partners about the lending process. Friendly, patient, solutions-based and professional, Benson has managed to thrive in a challenging rate and housing market while staying upbeat, optimistic and motivated. When not working, she’s pouring into her two sons and one daughter, who keep her active discussing world events, hooping all over the country playing basketball and relaxing by the ocean in their downtime.
At work and in life, Benson follows the advice of Roman philosopher Seneca: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Rate, Inc. is a private corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. It has no affiliation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any other government agency.
